See the First Picture of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury

If you’ll believe that the Freddie Mercurybiopic will happen when you see it, you’ve just gotten one step closer to believing it. The first picture of Rami Malek in costume as Queen’s iconic frontman has been released.

The picture, embedded above, comes via Entertainment Weekly, where Malek discussed what it means for an actor to be in a role that requires such a transformation. “When you’re able to open your eyes and see a different person staring back at you in the mirror,” he said, “it’s a very affirming moment.” He added that being able to resemble the singer “only adds to the level of confidence that one would need to play Freddie Mercury.”

But with the movie, called Bohemian Rhapsody after the band’s famous song, now in production after 12 years worth of false starts, one major question needs to be asked: Will Malek be doing his own singing or will he be lip-syncing to Mercury’s pre-recorded vocals? The answer is “yes” to both.

“We’re going to use Freddie as much as possible and use myself as much as possible,” Malek continued. “I’m in Abbey Road [Studios] right now if that should say anything to you. I’m not working on my acting.”

According to the article, Bohemian Rhapsody, which traces Queen's story from their beginning to their triumphant performance at Live Aid in 1985, is expected to be released on Christmas Day, 2018. Bryan Singer, who directed the X-Men series, Superman Returns and The Usual Suspects, will helm the project.